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Helicopters Provided Vital Help in California Fires

These firefighters fly in conditions most other pilots would never attempt. LA Fire Dept.
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Key Takeaways:

  • California's Camp Fire, the state's deadliest, resulted in 86 fatalities and destroyed 153,000 acres and 19,000 buildings, including 14,000 homes.
  • The extensive firefighting effort involved 9,000 personnel, various fixed-wing aircraft, and 45 helicopters, including specialized models like the Sikorsky S-70 Firehawk.
  • Headcam footage from firefighters and pilots revealed the extreme danger and heroic efforts involved in aerial operations, with rescues often conducted in treacherous, low-visibility conditions close to flames.
  • A rescue during Southern California's Woolsey blaze exemplified the critical coordination and skill required by helicopter crews to save multiple people and pets in rapidly deteriorating and dangerous environments.
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Now that California’s Camp Fire in the northern portion of the state, the deadliest in the state’s history, has been smothered, authorities have begun looking not only at what’s left, but precisely how much was saved thanks to heroic efforts of fire fighters across the state.

Rob Mark

Rob Mark is an award-winning journalist, business jet pilot, flight instructor, and blogger.

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